Merrimack sex offender arrested for possessing child pornography

By Kimberly HoughtonUnion Leader CorrespondentMarch 08. 2013 1:00PMMERRIMACK - A registered sex offender who previously served five years in prison has been arrested again, this time for allegedly coaxing a girl into sending him indecent photographs.

Police say Keith R. Burns, 40, of 11 Camp Sargent Rd., was arrested this week and charged with seven counts of child pornography and one count of the unlawful use of a computer.

Burns, a tier-three registered sex offender, was released from the New Hampshire State Prison nearly five years ago. According to police, Burns was committed in 2003 for a period of five years as a result of sexual crimes against children.

This week's arrest was prompted after detectives from the Jackson County Oregon Sheriff's Office and representatives from the Internet Crimes Against Children agency notified local police about a 13-year-old girl from Oregon who had been the target of a Granite State suspect, according to a release.

"Oregon authorities conducted an investigation and discovered that the female victim had been coaxed into sending nude photographs of herself to a person whom she initially thought was a male in his teens," said police.

Local police furthered the investigation and determined the photos had been sent to a computer device allegedly owned and operated by Burns.

A search warrant was executed on Wednesday, and Burns was arrested on the numerous felony charges on Thursday, said police.

"Merrimack police do expect that additional charges will be filed through the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office at the superior court once the computer devices have been forensically analyzed," authorities said in a statement. Burns was arraigned Thursday at the 9th Circuit Court District Division in Merrimack. He is being held on $30,000 cash bail, and will return to court for a probable cause hearing on Thursday.

The investigation, which is ongoing, was a coordinated effort between Merrimack, Milford and Portsmouth police, in addition to authorities from the Jackson County Oregon Sheriff's Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children.

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